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BLCA c08s01
Text "How dare they!" Luna muttered, storming back and forth in the main room of the library, and Twilight sighed a little, gazing at her sympathetically as Scrivener Blooms glanced up from where he was sitting grouchily with his back against a desk, a worn book in his claws. "Zecora has stirred up a fine mess now... after all I have done, it will never be enough, will it? By Yggdrasil! By damned and dead Odin! When I became Nightmare Moon I did not even kill that many ponies, why is this still their greatest fear?" "Luna..." Twilight strode around the desk, walking towards her, and Luna sighed and slumped, closing her eyes and storming over towards the violet unicorn... but then only burying her face against Twilight's mane, making the purple mare blush awkwardly even as she hugged her instinctively with one forelimb. "Let's not jump to conclusions yet, okay? Celestia is out calming everypony down now that they've called a town meeting, and they're probably going to want to talk to you at some point, too. Just... hearing what Zecora said was... I mean..." She halted, then shook her head as Luna drew back, and Scrivener Blooms added quietly from where he was seated: "Believe me, Luna, I feel how angry you are, but I know we have to stay calm, too. They might remember everything we did, but that also means they remember all their old misconceptions and the stories they told each other about you too... they might remember how you were a welcome citizen of Ponyville, but..." "Yes, yes, I know." Luna murmured, reaching up and touching her forehead with a hoof as she grimaced a bit. "They also likely remember how I led so many of their loved ones to a fate worse than death. How the Starlit Knights failed spectacularly and how we were unable to halt Ragnarok. I do not entirely blame them for being wary of me... especially since... thou art... well, I do not have to explain it." Scrivener smiled wryly, glancing down and flexing one of his claws before Twilight said quietly: "But look. They liked seeing you today, they all know that you've done... that you've gone really far above and beyond what anypony could be expected to do for everypony in Equestria. We know you're not a monster. We know that you and Scrivener Blooms are here to help us, and to protect us. It's just... maybe it's guilt." "Guilt... a ridiculous emotion, usually felt not by the truly-guilty but those who should bear no shame at all." Luna muttered, looking down and shaking her head slowly, and then she sighed a bit and looked over at Scrivener Blooms, grumbling: "Poet, come hence. I wish to hide myself between thee and Twilight Sparkle. But if anypony asks, thou art both clinging to me for comfort." "Luna, I... I really should finish my work first..." Twilight started awkwardly, glancing over her shoulder at the desk. "I mean, I need to make an inventory of everything, and new library cards, and figure out where to get more books and-" Luna growled and stomped a hoof against the floor, and Twilight winced a bit at this before she sighed as Scrivener Blooms climbed to his claws and tossed his book onto the desk. "Just agree with her, Twilight. When she gets like this, it's better to just go along with what she wants. Fighting it just leads to broken body parts." "The poet shows wisdom for once." Luna grumbled, then she glowered as Twilight shook her head and headed across the room, the winged unicorn saying threateningly: "Thou had best be fetching coffee or chocolate, not trying to run away!" "I'm getting some of the bedding from storage." Twilight replied tiredly, and Luna looked mollified before she shot a look at Scrivy, and the male sighed before grumbling as he strode off after the purple pony on Luna's mental orders. He checked Twilight absently as he passed her while she rifled through a closet, and she winced, then huffed after him as he headed into her kitchen, saying grouchily: "There's not a lot in there, Scrivener. Or maybe I should just talk to Luna, since usually you address the rider, not the noble steed." "Is everypony going to call me that now? It's nice that I'm being referred to as 'noble' for a change of pace, but I really don't need any more ways for ponies to infer how much Luna must ride me." Scrivener mumbled, even as he went about the task of digging through the cupboards, and Twilight frowned as she leaned past the closet door to watch as the male went about the task of putting on coffee. "And actually, Luna and I set up your pantry ourselves. So blame Luna, because like you said, the rider. Not the noble steed." "That figures. It's all chocolate, candy, coffee, and those weird-looking things in the fridge." Twilight muttered, shaking her head, and Scrivener smiled despite himself as the violet pony stepped back, flicking her horn and lifting a bevy of pillows and a folded-up, thick futon free from the closet with telekinesis... and then she softened, looking up at these hovering objects. She smiled a bit at the sound of hooves behind her, and without turning around, she asked Luna quietly: "You set this all up for me, didn't you?" "Aye, we did." Luna said softly, and the dark-coated winged unicorn smiled a bit as Twilight turned around with a warm look over the fellow mare. "Thou art important to us both, Twilight Sparkle, and... 'twas horribly, horribly unfair what thou went through. Thou suffered in ways that a... a beautiful, generous, ardent creature such as thyself never should have..." The violet pony blushed a bit at this, and then she cleared her throat awkwardly as she stepped past Luna, carrying the bedding and the pillows with a smile as she murmured: "I really... I'm not that special, Luna." "Yes thou art." Luna said grouchily, and Twilight laughed despite herself, shaking her head and smiling amusedly over her shoulder as she flicked her horn, the mattress dropping to the floor and the pillows neatly cascading down over it. Then the violet mare winced when the other winged unicorn leapt forwards and bulled into her, knocking her back on the futon before Luna pinned her down on her back and leaned over her, grinning widely as she added firmly: "And if thou denies it, I shall merely pummel thee until thou better understands just how worthy thou art." "That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, Luna. Now uh. Can you please get off me?" Twilight winced a bit, then flinched when Luna leaned down, breathing over her face as a blush spread through her features, before the larger winged unicorn laughed and slid off, dropping beside her and lowering her head to nestle her face into Twilight's neck, the violet mare sighing and mumbling: "You are so incredibly abusive." "I am." Luna mumbled comfortably, and she curled herself a bit closer before smiling slightly, adding easily: "And we have a treat. My husband is taking the initiative and preparing those dumplings we stored in thy fridge some time ago. I insist thou tries one. 'Tis why I had them prepared." "They're not. Really old, are they?" Twilight asked apprehensively, and Luna huffed a bit, sitting up and glowering down at her as the purple pony smiled lamely. "Well, Luna, sometimes you forget we're not all hardy warrior ponies like you..." "They are not. Sometimes, when... we came across the Bifrost, Scrivener Blooms and I would stay here, when business... demanded it." Luna softened a bit, gazing up towards the ceiling of the library, and Twilight blushed as she rolled onto her stomach and looked quietly up at Luna. "So we always had stock kept here, fresh and good, of our preferred foods. I think thou will like it, 'tis venison." "Well I'll give it a try... I've never heard of venison before, though, what is it, some kind of spice?" Twilight asked curiously, tilting her head, and then she frowned a bit at the grin Luna gave her. "I'm not going to like the answer, am I?" "Nay, thou shan't. So let me instead ask thee a question: would thou prefer to know now or later what exactly venison is? For rest assured, I do wish for thee to try this delicious little snack either way. I only fear that if I tell thee now, 'twill result in horror and make it very difficult to get thee to eat... if I tell thee later, thou may attempt to pummel me, but thou will also have already digested the food and, having not died or transformed into some horrible denizen of darkness, thou may be more open to trying more." Luna replied seriously, nodding a few times, and Twilight looked grumpily at her in response. "I feel like this is some big joke to you. I guess I get what you mean, though... I mean, once Pinkie brought by chocolate-covered ants and I just thought they were funny-shaped candies at first." Twilight looked moody at this memory as Luna snorted in entertainment. "I think it was her Pinkamena side acting up back then, to be honest, because she told me right while I was in mid-chew of my second batch. I don't know if I could ever eat them again but... they were good right up until I knew what they were." "Well, I care for thee very much, Twilight Sparkle. But I also care for Scrivener Blooms and thou sees how I treat him. Know that it all comes from a place of affection and wanting to share my life and experiences with thee, though." Luna said kindly, and Twilight grumbled a bit before she glanced up as Scrivener walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray loaded with three mugs of coffee. "Well, what does thou know? I speak of the monster, and he comes to his mistress, delights at the ready." "I'll pour your coffee on you, Luna. Except you'd probably like that, twisted as you are." Scrivener grumbled, and then he grunted when the tray was lifted out of his claw by a faint sapphire glow, Luna guiding it over to the futon with a slight smile and an easy tilt of her horn before the poet gestured absently back towards the kitchen. "Dumplings are heating up fast." "Good." Luna nodded with a grunt, and then she glanced towards the doorway as there was a single knock before it opened, and her expression soured a little as Celestia strode in. "And look who hast come in time to dine. We require another mug of coffee, Scrivy. And perhaps something for me to hit, depending on the news." Celestia only smiled faintly, however, bowing her head and replying quietly: "There's not much I can say yet, little sister. But they're also not rioting in the streets or spreading rumors... they're just confused over what happened. I think if anything's upsetting them at this point, it's that their festival, their... celebration of rebirth, was marred by these events. As it is, a lot of them seem more interested in relieving stress right now and enjoying one-another's company over worrying about things like this." Luna grunted, and then she glanced up curiously as Celestia paused and sniffed at the air, the distinct smell from the kitchen wafting into the room and making the ivory winged unicorn smile slightly. "Dinner?" "Well, a snack at least. I was not even aware of the time." Luna replied honestly, nodding as Celestia approached the futon, and Twilight half-shuffled awkwardly away from Luna before blushing a bit when the dark-coated winged unicorn firmly wrapped a limb around her and pulled her back close even as she smiled, asking her older sibling curiously: "Would thou like a dumpling as well? Venison, old Nibelung recipe. And as thou saw, they are very good at following instructions, if not much else." "Thank you, but you know I've never been as fond of meat. I remember I almost offended the dragons during negotiations with them many, many years ago, because I wouldn't eat either the gemstones or the other foods they offered." Celestia replied with a smile, and then she glanced curiously towards Twilight as the violet pony gave Luna a curdling glare, and Luna grinned awkwardly in response. "You tried to get me to eat meat? What is wrong with you? It's not like I didn't already have to worry about Pinkamena trying to share her food with everypony!" Twilight grumbled grouchily, and when Luna gave her a hurt look, she added flatly: "Not this time. You're evil." "Twilight Sparkle! Thou hurts me deeply!" Luna exclaimed in an injured voice, but Twilight only grumbled and rolled her eyes as Celestia sat down at the edge of the futon, looking at the two with quiet entertainment... and perhaps just a touch of jealousy. "But come now, even sister has eaten meat before, and I do not mean-" "I hate you so much." Twilight interrupted grouchily, but this time Luna laughed and shook her head before the winged unicorns glanced up as Scrivener returned with an amused smile and a large tray stacked with the venison dumplings and another mug of coffee for Celestia, Twilight wincing a bit as she asked hesitantly: "You're not... I mean... that..." "Oh, hush. Be not so childish. Sister, I demand thou eats one as well, 'twill relax Twilight and convince her that I am not turning into a monster from beyond Helheim." Luna half-ordered even as she gave Celestia a pleading look, and her older sister grimaced a bit and shifted before the dark-coated pony grumbled and added finally: "Please?" "Alright sister, but only one, and only because I see you've heated up quite a few." Celestia said finally, making a bit of a face as Twilight looked up in surprise, and Luna looked delighted as she glanced towards Scrivy, horn glowing as she hurriedly lifted the tray from him to carry it over to the futon and drop it on the mattress in front of Celestia. She looked meditatively down at the large stack of dumplings before sighing, the top one glowing and lifting up in front of her in a pale-gold telekinetic grip. She almost blushed a bit as Twilight continued to stare at her, and then she said awkwardly: "Things were... different in the old days, Twilight Sparkle. Like I said, I'm not overly fond of it... but I have eaten it before." With that, she nibbled at the dumpling, then took a larger bite out if it and chewed slowly, and Twilight looked dumbly over at Luna... before wincing as the dark-coated winged unicorn loudly bit a dumpling in half, grinning widely. Scrivener had one as well, now laying beside Luna and chewing slowly, and Twilight shuddered a bit before she muttered: "I guess it really is a brave new world, isn't it?" "Aye, 'tis. But that does not make it bad." Luna tossed the rest of the dumpling into her mouth, relishing the taste of it for a moment before she swallowed and said quietly: "This meat comes from the Nibelung's hunts, and... aye, my husband and I have changed enough that perhaps standard pony fare will not suffice for us. Particularly not for him, as... well..." She halted, glancing towards the male, and Scrivener smiled a bit... and as if for the first time, Twilight saw his sharp teeth, thought what implications there were to what he had become, before Luna continued softly: "I want thee to understand us. I want to share everything with thee, Twilight Sparkle, and I want thee to glean an understanding that can only truly come through living like us. Through tasting the bounty we feast upon, feeling our joys and sorrows from our angles, seeing the world through the eyes of night instead of day. Come, eat with us, Twilight. Perhaps thou will even like it. And there is a greater crime in wasting what is already gone than in ensuring it is put to good use." "I don't know..." Twilight said hesitantly, and she glanced towards Celestia as the white winged unicorn smiled a little, and then the violet pony finally sighed and nodded, looking awkwardly over at Luna and saying finally: "I'll try one. Just... one." Luna and Scrivener both smiled as the male picked up a dumpling from the plate, holding it out to her, and Twilight grimaced a bit as she took this between her hooves. She stared at it for a while as Luna and Scrivy continued to eat, and Celestia sat back, sipping slowly at her coffee as she studied the trio. Finally, Twilight swallowed thickly and took a bite out of the dumpling, chewing nervously... and looking surprised at the taste and texture, shifting awkwardly on the spot. Luna smiled as Scrivener looked up curiously, and Celestia looked almost as if some pang had struck her as Twilight looked down at the food and murmured: "It's... not as bad as I thought. But this was always... you know, forbidden and all that... supposed to be..." "Aye, Twilight, I know. But many things in life thou must make thine own decisions regarding... others may have good intentions, but ultimately their decisions are oft heavily based upon their own experiences and biases." Luna said ironically, glancing pointedly towards Celestia, but the ivory pony only sighed and shook her head, giving a small smile to Luna before the dark-coated winged unicorn frowned, then suddenly smiled in return. "I just realized, sister. Thou hast neither plate nor crown... and thou hast not complained in the slightest for lack of either." "They're just objects. I have much more important things than those to focus on." Celestia replied softly, and Luna smiled warmly at this before the ivory equine glanced towards Twilight, adding in a quieter voice: "And my little sister is right. She's wiser than she thinks she is, or ever acts... and she's always been right about you, Twilight. You're smart enough to make your own decisions, come to your own conclusions. Just know that... I'll always be there to aid and support you, too." "Thank you, Celestia." Twilight murmured, blushing a bit as she bowed her head... and silence spiraled out over the next few minutes as Luna and Scrivener continued to eat, Celestia sipped her coffee and Twilight finished her first dumpling and hesitantly started on a second, looking almost embarrassed. Finally, Celestia looked towards her sister, saying quietly: "If you'll allow me to give you a bit of advice, Luna, I think you should keep a low profile tonight. Let everypony settle down: I am not saying you should fear to show your face, but at the same time, try not to cause any... well..." "I know, I know. No crashing into City Hall, no hunting down Zecora, no attacking those who disagree with me and my methods." Luna grumbled, and Celestia smiled a bit before the violet pony looked moodily over at Twilight and Scrivener. "I hope thou art both ready to entertain me for the night. And thou had best be prepared too, Celestia, or I shall make all of thee miserable and suffer for my pleasure." "Actually, I was hoping that Scrivener Blooms and I could take some time alone, and go out towards the Everfree Forest tonight." Celestia said courteously, bowing her head slightly, and Scrivy looked dumbly up as Luna glanced with surprise towards her sister, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously even as the ivory winged unicorn added quietly: "I'd like to see his abilities in action, and to inspect him, sister. And I would like to speak to him, to be entirely honest... I know that you will still be present, in a way, and able to hear everything that is said, but... all the same." "Oh, wretched bed-thief." Luna grumbled, and Celestia sighed and rolled her eyes in exasperation before looking surprised when her younger sibling nodded once with a grunt and muttered: "But 'tis a fine enough idea, and thou hast my approval. Scrivener Blooms, do not flirt too much with my sister. Thou must save thy energies for tonight." Scrivener gave the dark-coated winged unicorn a flat look, and then he simply rolled his eyes and sighed, saying drolly: "Then do me a favor and don't molest Twilight while I'm gone. I feel everything you do, after all. That would be awkward." "That just makes me want to do it all the more." Luna replied comfortably, and Twilight glared at her before the dark-coated winged unicorn huffed as she picked up a dumpling, ignoring the glowers from the ponies around her. "Thou art all stuffy." Twilight sighed at this as Scrivener rolled his eyes, and Luna huffed a bit, glaring around at them almost challengingly before she dropped flat against the futon, adding disconsolately: "And I am stuck with all of thee. So tell me, stuffy ponies. What shall thou all do to entertain this evil creature of the night?" Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story